Chord DAC 64

I bought my DAC 64 used for around $1900 ...on Audiogon, about three years ago. I run redbook from a Sony XA777ES to the Chord and then to Stax Lamda Sigs. The entire setup is used from A'gon and cost under $4.3K ... (I trade a lot there). My only step up would be to replace the Lamda with Omega's and perhaps a Gilmore Blue Hawaii or other high end tubes for the Stax ... with respect to the DAC, I do not think I can better the Chord without going into mega-dollar EMM, DCS, Wadia or Audio Aero.

The DAC 64 is the best I've owned so far, much better then my previous Orpheus, Bel Canto2 or a Sony SCD-1 which was not even close on Redbook. The re-clocking and proprietary technology of the DAC 64 brings decently recorded CDs to near SACD level, and poorly recorded 80's CDs, (of which I have many), are now quite enjoyable, as the Chord cleans up the treble harshness.

I also find a strong synergy between the Stax and Chord. So much so, that I can't even listen to my Grado 1000's anymore with the small Grado RA-1 amp (that my change when I get the SinglePower that was damaged in shipping fixed).

I also have an MDHT Labs Paradesia DAC that I just bought and which is surprisingly lush on good CDs but can't match the Chord (nor should it at a 10th the price) on poor CDs that need re-clocking. The Paradesia also needs a decent transport to sound good (or Jitter reduction), whereas the Chord can work with just about anything since it jitter-immune.

Ebay Europe is your best bet for a used Chord ...but the Euro/US exchange may hurt. (I suspect with the US dollar tanking, you'd probably be in the $3K range now ...equivalent to $2K 3 years ago when the US dollar was higher.)

When I get my modded SinglePower back ...I'll do some A/B testing with among one of the best SS setup (Chord + SinglePower + Grado 1000) vs. the same thing with the Stax/tube Amp and post my findings.

The only downside to the Chord is that they recommend you leave it on all the time (there's no power switch) ... this somewhat bothers me, as it is 1) not a very "green" solution ...2) it takes a while to warm up to good sound if you don't want to leave it on ...and 3) I'm not sure how long it will last being left on 24/7 (although its been fine for 3 years). - Lorne

Chord DAC 64

...I should also add that there are two Chord DAC 64 models (Mark 1 and Mark 2) but they are the same with respect to sound, with the exception that the later version has better balanced synergy with the mega-dollar Chord transport, which I do not own but have heard.